If you're looking to pre-order a Nintendo Switch, you should look somewhere other than GameStop. The retailer sent word on Sunday that it has blown through its allotment of the new console.
In fact, if you're in the United States, looking elsewhere may be of no use. The Switch is unavailable for reserve, pre-order or otherwise at GameStop and the other major console gaming retailers here. Amazon, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart and Best Buy all list the console, which launches March 3, as unavailable, three days after pre-orders opened. Some still have accessories and games available for preorder.
GameStop did not specify the size of its allotment or how many preorders it has sold; a statement from the company said it is "working closely with Nintendo to get additional Nintendo Switch units." GameStop advised would-be buyers to sign up for email notification when the unit is back in stock.
Meanwhile, over at eBay, the gray market has been active since the Switch's launch date and price were revealed Thursday evening. There are numerous listings for the console at $200 or more above its $299.99 MSRP and the lowest price on a confirmed pre-order reservation was $405.99, as of publication time.
In an interview with GameSpot after the Switch's debut event last week, Reggie Fils-Aime, the Nintendo of America president, said he didn't anticipate the Switch running into the kind of supply-and-demand problem that faced the NES Classic Edition. Fils-Aime restated Nintendo's commitment to putting out 2 million units, worldwide, for the March launch.
When the Wii U launched in November 2012, Fils-Aime said the console sold 400,000 units in the United States. Another 250,000 Wii U buyers were left on GameStop's pre-order wait list after the retailer exhausted its launch allotment, too. The Wii sold 600,000 during its 2006 launch week.
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